Watchdog

MINSK -- Two Belarusian activists have been fined for mocking a statue of a tsarist-era policeman in Minsk.

A court in Minsk on December 3 found Syarhey Sparysh and Vyachaslau Kasinerau guilty of minor hooliganism and fined both $360.

Sparysh, Kasinerau, and four other activists were detained on December 2 after they laid a funeral wreath with the message "to the image of the Interior Ministry" at the statue in the Belarusian capital.

Last month, Minsk authorities forced a teenager to apologize to the statue after he was caught on camera playfully slapping it on the face, which sparked a series of flash mobs mocking the authorities' move to punish a 16-year-old student, identified as Arseniy.

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The statue has been vandalized or used for political stunts several times since it was unveiled in March last year to mark the centenary of the Belarusian police.

In March 2017, Kasinerau was fined after he threw a hangman's noose over the statue to protest against police treatment of political protesters.

In March this year, members of a local lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) group were disciplined for placing a rainbow-colored pot of flowers beside the statue.

An Iranian revolutionary court has sentenced a journalist to a nearly 13-year prison term over security charges, Iranian media report.

Reformist journalist Hengameh Shahidi can appeal the verdict that sentenced her to 12 years and 9 months in jail. She has also been banned from joining political groups, media activity, and leaving the country.

"Given the confidentiality of the proceedings and the security nature of the case, I cannot disclose details about the court's verdict," Shahidi's lawyer Mostafa Turk Hamedani told the official government news agency IRNA.

Shahidi, 43, has been in jail since June.

She was previously jailed following the 2009 state crackdown that followed a disputed presidential election.

Shahidi was also detained for several months in 2017.

In recent years, Iran has detained scores of journalists and activists over vague security charges.

The Islamic republic ranks 164th on Reporters Without Borders' 2018 World Press Freedom Index.

Based on reporting by IRNA, AP and AFP